Toilet seat cover

ABSTRACT

A toilet seat covering for use with a portable toilet includes an anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, exterior surface that surrounds a pliable interior that creates an opening which overlays a waste opening in the portable toilet. The pliable interior preferably includes heat activated foam that forms to the rear of the user. A handle extends from a front of the toilet seat covering.

There are no related patent applications.

The present application did not received federal research and/ordevelopment funding.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Generally, the present invention relates to a portable toilet seat coverthat is placed atop an opening of a waste tank of a portable toilet.More particularly, the present invention relates to a hygienic toiletseat cover that includes a flexible exterior of an antimicrobial orantibacterial surface that may be easily disinfected. An interior coreof the toilet seat cover includes pliable, resilient material such asclosed cell foam. A handle extends from the front of the toilet seatcover for use in placing and retrieving the toilet seat cover in ahygienic manner. The toilet seat cover is preferably formed from heatactivated foam that has a visco memory to provide a softer feel to theposterior of the user. Moreover, the underside of the toilet seat coverthat comes into contact with an upper surface of the waste tank assumesa complementary shape of the upper surface of the waste tank. An openingin the toilet seat cover is aligned over the waste opening during use. Arigid frame member may be provided within the interior to assurestructural integrity during use. The rigid frame member is sandwichedbetween upper and lower halves of the rigid frame member. The rigidframe member may be substantially flat, typically 0.125″ or less andformed from rigid plastic material. The frame member is doughnut-shapedto provide a flat surface upon which the upper half of the toilet seatcover is supported.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Temporary and portable outdoor toilets are known in the art. Many ofthese portable outdoor toilets are used at concerts, sporting events,parties and job sites. Typically, these portable toilets are hauled to asite on a flatbed truck or trailer and off-loaded at the site. Eachportable toilet includes sidewalls, a door, a ceiling and a floor. Awaste storage tank is positioned within the interior and against theback wall of the portable toilet. A toilet seat and lid are fastenedatop a top opening of the waste storage tank. The waste storage tank ispartially filled with chemicals that treat the waste material. Mostportable toilets include a urinal arranged on one of the sidewalls thatincludes a drain tube connected between the urinal and waste storagetank for draining urine or other liquid waste into the tank. Theseportable toilets are usually formed from an epoxy resin mixture such asfiberglass or made from a durable plastic material.

At concerts and sporting events many thousands of people may use asingle portable outside toilet. On job sites, these portable outdoortoilets may be left for extended periods of time between service andcleaning processes after the initial placement of the portable toilet.Thus, the interior of the portable outdoor toilet, including the toiletseat, becomes heavily soiled over time. To overcome this problem, someportable outdoor toilets include paper covers for overlaying the toiletseat prior to use. One problem associated with these paper covers isthat when the toilet seat is wet, the paper cover tends to soak up themoisture and fails to prevent the user's posterior from become wet.Thus, these paper covers are inadequate for combating soiled conditionsof a portable outdoor toilet in many instances and are of no aid inpreventing the spread of communicable diseases.

There is a need for a hygienic, comfortable, cost-effective portabletoilet seat covering that may be arranged atop a waste tank of aportable outdoor toilet. To that end, the present invention aims toprovide a toilet seat covering that may be used in connection with aportable outdoor toilet in a safe and hygienic manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a toilet seat cover that includes a flexibleexterior of an antimicrobial or antibacterial surface. The terms“anti-microbial” and “anti-bacterial” properties are defined as anymaterial that prevents or reduces the spread of infectious diseases andmay include plasticized coating or paint impregnated with antimicrobialor antibacterial chemicals. The outer surface of the toilet seat coverprovides a surface that may be easily disinfected to reduce the spreadof infectious diseases.

An interior core of the toilet seat cover includes pliable, resilientmaterial such as memory foam that is made from polyurethane withadditional chemicals. These chemicals add to the viscosity level of thefoam core to increase its density. This type of memory foam is oftenreferred to as visco-elastic polyurethane foam. The memory foam is heatactivated to provide a softer feel to the posterior of the user andcause the upper surface of the seat to mould to the user's posterior.Higher density memory foam reacts to body heat which allows it to moulditself to the shape of a warm body within a short amount of time. Thefoam's heat-retaining properties is comfortable to users even in subzerotemperatures.

The toilet seat cover is doughnut shaped and includes an opening forallowing expelled waste to drop through it into the waste storage tankof the portable toilet. A handle extends from the front of the toiletseat cover for ensuring that no waste contacts the user's hand whenplacing or retrieving the toilet seat cover. The toilet seat cover maybe carried on the back of a pickup or in a plastic bag until needed. Theuser then carries the toilet seat cover to the portable toilet andplaces it atop the toilet seat that is fastened to the waste tank or theattached toilet seat may be lifted and the toilet seat cover bedeposited directly atop the waste storage tank. Since the bottom half ofthe toilet seat cover assumes the complementary shape of a surface uponwhich it is arranged, the toilet seat cover may be used in a variety ofportable toilets having various shaped toilet seats or waste storagetanks.

A rigid frame member may be provided within the interior to assurestructural integrity during use. In this instance, the rigid framemember is formed in the overall shape of the toilet seat cover toinclude the hand opening with finger grooves. The rigid frame member isthen sandwiched on a top and bottom surface by two foam members that areformed in substantially the same shape as the rigid frame member. Thefoam members are the visco-type foam as mentioned above. The bottom foammember may be thinner than the upper foam member, but is necessary forpreventing the rigid frame member from slipping or sliding across theupper surface of the waste storage tank.

It is an object of the invention to provide a portable toilet seat thatmay be carried by a user and placed atop a waste tank of a portabletoilet.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable toiletseat that includes has a visco memory such that the underside of theportable toilet seat conforms to a shaped surface of a toilet seat orupper exterior surface of a waste tank in a portable outdoor toilet.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from a consideration of the following description and theincluded claims when taken in connection with the previous discussionand the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toilet seat cover taken from aboveand the front.

FIG. 2 is an elevated view of the toilet seat cover taken from above.

FIG. 3 is a view of the toilet seat cover taken from the side.

FIG. 4A is a cross-section view of one embodiment of the toilet seatcover that includes a rigid frame member and taken from line A-A of FIG.2. FIG. 4B is a cross-section view of the toilet seat cover thatcomprises only an interior made of foam and the exterior.

FIG. 5A shows an exterior view of a prior art portable toilet. FIG. 4Bshows a partial breakaway view an interior view of the prior artportable toilet.

FIG. 6 shows the toilet seat cover atop the toilet seat in the portabletoilet of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention and the various features andadvantageous details thereof are more fully explained with reference tothe non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/orillustrated in the accompanying drawings and set forth in the followingdescription. It should be noted that the features illustrated in thedrawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and the features of oneembodiment may be employed with the other embodiments as the skilledartisan recognizes, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptionsof well-known components and techniques may be omitted to avoidobscuring the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely tofacilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may bepracticed and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments set forth hereinshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which isdefined by the appended claims. Moreover, it is noted that likereference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

FIGS. 1-3 which show the portable toilet seat cover 1 that includes aseat region 13 with an opening 10 and a handle 4 that extends from thefront of the seat region 3. The portable toilet seat cover 1 includes anupper surface 5 and a lower surface 6. The lower surface 6 conforms tothe shape of the object on which the portable toilet seat cover 1 isdeposited. The posterior of the user is deposited atop the upper surface5 which conforms to the particular features of the user's posterior. Theoverall length “L” of the portable toilet seat cover is substantiallytwenty-four inches. The overall length of the seat region 13 issubstantially eighteen inches. The overall length of the handle 4 issubstantially six inches. The minimum width “W” of the portable toiletseat cover 1 is substantially fourteen inches. The maximum width issubstantially twenty inches. The minimum size of opening 10 issubstantially eleven inches long at its maximum length and substantiallyeight inches wide at its maximum width. The thickness “T” between uppersurface 5 and lower surface 6 within the seat region 13 is within arange of substantially one to three inches thick. The thickness of thehandle 4 may be thinner than that of the seat region 13. However, theexterior surface 2 extends around both the seat region 13 and the handle4 to insure that the antimicrobial properties of the exterior surface 2is realized in the handle 4. As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thehandle 4 includes an opening through which the fingers of the userextend when carrying the portable toilet seat 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross section views taken from line A-A of FIG. 2.In the simplified version of FIG. 4B, the portable toilet seat cover 1comprises an internal piece of visco-elastic memory foam 3. The memoryfoam 3 is heat activated to provide a softer feel to the posterior ofthe user. Further, the memory foam 3 reacts to body heat which allows itto mould itself to the shape of a warm body within a short amount oftime. The exterior surface surrounds an entirety of the memory foam 3.In FIG. 4A, the memory foam 3 is divided into two halves, an upper half3A and a lower half 3B. A rigid frame member 7 is sandwiched between thetwo halves 3A, 3B. In this instance, the exterior surface surrounds allof the sandwich parts, 3A, 3B, 7. The memory foam 3 and/or frame member7 may comprise one or more of the following plastics including but notlimited to Polyethylene Terephthalate, High Density Polyethylene,Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, polyurethanes, polyvinylchloride and other mixed resins. The rigid frame member 7 may be formedin substantially the shape of the portable toilet seat cover 1 toinclude the seat region 13 and the handle 4 extended therefrom.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict prior art toilets. Each toilet includes sidewallsand an access door for entering and exiting the toilet. A vent pipeextends through the roof. FIG. 5B is a partial breakaway view and showsa typical layout for an interior. On the left sidewall is a urinal intowhich liquid waste may be deposited. The vent pipe extends from withinthe waste tank. An upper surface of the waste tank may be sloped todrain fluids from the top of the waste tank as shown. An opening isprovided in the waste tank. A toilet seat is arranged above the opening.

FIG. 6 shows the portable toilet seat cover 1 arranged atop the toiletseat with the handle extending towards the door. The user may arrangethe portable toilet seat cover 1 atop the toilet seat. Thereafter, theuser deposits his exterior onto the upper surface 5 of the portabletoilet seat cover 1 and deposits wastes through opening 10 into thewaste tank. When finished, the user simply grasps the handle 4 anddisengages the toilet seat cover 1 from the toilet seat. The exteriorsurface of the toilet seat cover may be treated with an antimicrobialagent or wiped with a disinfectant to periodically sanitize the portabletoilet seat cover 1. Moreover, it may be maintained in a plastic bagthat preferably includes indicia indicating an upper and lower side. Thetoilet seat cover 1 may also be deposited directly onto the uppersurface of the waste tank such that central opening 10 is positionedabove the opening into the waste tank.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactconstruction illustrated and described above. Various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and thescope of the invention as defined in the following claims. While theinvention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description or shownin the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative andnot in limiting sense. From the above disclosure of the generalprinciples of the present invention and the preceding detaileddescription, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend thevarious modifications to which the present invention is susceptible.Therefore, the scope of the invention should be limited only by thefollowing claims and equivalents thereof.

1. A portable toilet seat cover comprising: a flexible exterior coveringthat exhibits antimicrobial properties such that the portable toiletseat cover may be easily disinfected; a seat region that includes apliable resilient interior core comprising foam formed in adoughnut-shape and having a central opening, said exterior coveringbeing arranged on an exterior of the pliable resilient interior core; ahandle extending from the seat region and being covered with theexterior covering, said handle including an opening through which a usermay place fingers to retrieve and place the portable toilet seatcovering.
 2. The portable toilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein saidpliable resilient interior core comprises polyurethane.
 3. The portabletoilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein said pliable resilient interiorcore is divided into an upper half and a lower half and a rigid framemember arranged between the upper half and the lower half.
 4. Theportable toilet seat cover of claim 3 wherein said rigid frame membercomprises one or more selected from a group consisting of PolyethyleneTerephthalate, High Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride,Polypropylene, Polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride and othermixed resins.
 5. The portable toilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein thepliable resilient interior core comprises one or more selected from agroup consisting of Polyethylene Terephthalate, High DensityPolyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene, Polystyrene,polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride and other mixed resins.
 6. The portabletoilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein the overall length of the portabletoilet seat cover is substantially twenty-four inches.
 7. The portabletoilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein an overall length of the seatregion is substantially eighteen inches and an overall length of thehandle is substantially six inches.
 8. The portable toilet seat cover ofclaim 1 wherein a minimum width of the portable toilet seat cover issubstantially fourteen inches.
 9. The portable toilet seat cover ofclaim 1 wherein a maximum width is substantially twenty inches.
 10. Theportable toilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein a minimum size of thecentral opening is substantially eleven inches long by substantiallyeight inches wide.
 11. The portable toilet seat cover of claim 1 whereina thickness between an upper surface and a lower surface within the seatregion is within a range of substantially one to three inches thick. 12.The portable toilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein a thickness of thehandle is thinner than a thickness of the seat region.
 13. A combinationportable toilet and portable toilet seat cover comprising: a portableoutdoor toilet that includes sidewalls, a back wall and front wallhaving a door, a waste tank being arranged within said portable outdoortoilet and against said back wall, said waste tank including an uppersurface having an opening for at least depositing waste through; and, aportable toilet seat cover comprising a flexible exterior covering thatexhibits antimicrobial properties such that the portable toilet seatcover may be easily disinfected, a seat region that includes a pliableresilient interior core comprising foam formed in a doughnut-shape andhaving a central opening, said exterior covering being arranged on anexterior of the pliable resilient interior core, and a handle extendingfrom the seat region and being covered with the exterior covering, saidhandle including an opening through which a user may place fingers toretrieve and place the portable toilet seat covering; wherein saidportable toilet seat cover is arranged atop the opening of the wastetank such that waste may be deposited into the waste tank through theopening in the portable toilet seat cover.
 14. A portable toilet seatcovering comprising: a doughnut-shaped seat region comprising a centralopening and having an upper surface and a lower surface that conforms toa shape of a toilet seat or an upper exterior surface of a waste tankthat surrounds a waste opening in a portable outdoor toilet, saiddoughnut-shaped seat region including an internal core of memory foamand having an exterior coating applied thereto; and, a handle regionextending from a front of a the doughnut-shaped seat region and beingcovered with the exterior coating.
 15. The portable toilet seat cover ofclaim 14 wherein doughnut-shaped seat comprises a pliable resilientinterior core that includes polyurethane.
 16. The portable toilet seatcover of claim 14 wherein said doughnut-shaped seat comprises a pliableresilient interior core that is divided into an upper half and a lowerhalf and a rigid frame member arranged between the upper half and thelower half.
 17. The portable toilet seat cover of claim 16 wherein saidrigid frame member comprises one or more selected from a groupconsisting of Polyethylene Terephthalate, High Density Polyethylene,Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinylchloride and other mixed resins.
 18. The portable toilet seat cover ofclaim 14 wherein the doughnut-shaped seat comprises one or more selectedfrom a group consisting of Polyethylene Terephthalate, High DensityPolyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene, Polystyrene,polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride and other mixed resins.